Today is officially my first day as a full-time employee for AAA-ACG and will be listed as my hire date within the corporate records, and I have to say it is the best “first day” I’ve had at a company so far. Why? Because it’s a holiday and I don’t actually have to go to work. I find this greatly amusing because my internal narrative of the event goes basically like this: “Welcome to the company! Take a paid day off.” I think that’s a pretty good way to start a career. Looking forward to the rest of the adventure!
The Official Offer
I received the official offer letter today via email. I am happy with the offer, though if I am being honest, the salary is a little lower than I was hoping for. That being said my manager assured me that the company is pretty good about bonuses and that he will try to see what he can do during reviews. Additionally the benefits package helps a bit as well. Specifically the fact that there are two retirement accounts, one of which I do not contribute to, but the company does on my behalf, and the second where they match a portion of what I contribute. Although, I will now be paying for my own benefits, whereas before the company paid for them at 100%. So realistically, all of this taken together my salary is probably a bit lower than I was hoping. I guess I won’t really be able to tell until my first paycheck wherein all deductions are being taken out. Regardless, I am very grateful for this opportunity. I truly feel like I am (and will continue to) contribute a lot to this team and the company as a whole. Along those lines, many of the people at this company have been here for a long time, so I feel like the company will treat me well in return. After all, people don’t stay at a company for 30+ years if it’s a bad place to be. As such, I am looking forward to a long and fruitful career.
Second Patch Complete
Today I patched the second hole in the garage that leads into the basement. This hole was sealed better than the first and I believe this is because there was nothing to simply press against the hole. The board that was covering this hole (which I identified as an old cutting board) was screwed flush to the wall and behind it was a piece of mesh screen, presumably meant to assist with keeping out rodents. This was a nice precautionary measure that was not present on the first hole. This patch went quicker than the first for a couple of reasons; first, there was no sink to move out-of-the-way, and second, I was able to apply the lessons learned from the first patch. I am very pleased with myself for being able to take care of some things around the house on my own, and I am very happy that I continue to learn new skills. There are a couple more issues I need to address in regards to patches in the garage, but these two were by far the most pressing and I am happy they are completed.
A Verbal Offer
Today, at the end of a team meeting, I (and hopefully my colleagues) received some very good news from my manager. My manager told me that I was officially coming on board as a full-time non-contract employee of the company! Based on the success of the last three months and what seems to be a good fit with the team and the company, I was hoping for this outcome. Though my teammates had told me that they wanted me to stay and felt that I have been a great asset and addition to their team, I did not want to get my hopes up. Needless to say this verbal confirmation has taken some stress off of me, though I am still waiting on the official offer letter from human resources or staffing. I am looking forward to this new leg of my career and the challenges and rewards it will bring, both personally and professionally.
Third Anniversary Celebration
Melissa and I were able to celebrate our third anniversary today! The day started off with her picking up an additional 2.5 hour shift at work, which is always a fun way to celebrate. Afterwards though, we went to Emagine Theater to enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, which was very enjoyable. Afterwards we took a trip down to Dundee to partake in a wine tasting and customer appreciation event at St. Julian’s, and to pick up our quarterly wine shipment. The event was a lot of fun, there was music and food provided by EJ’s Gourmet Street Cuisine. We had never had food from EJ’s before, but I can’t recommend them highly enough now! Their kielbasa and mac and cheese are hands down the best I’ve had, we may have to track them down in Ann Arbor to have it again! Once we finished at St. Julian’s we then went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get new dishes and a few other things; then we went home and relaxed with some television. While we didn’t do anything glamorous, we did enjoy having a day to spend together. I look forward to many more days with you Melissa. Happy Anniversary, I love you.
Third Anniversary
Happy third anniversary to my beautiful wife! Unfortunately we both worked over 12 hours today and didn’t get to celebrate, or even see each other much, it was still a good day with the time we did have. I am very grateful to have you in my life! This past year had it’s ups and downs, but we have come through stronger and we will continue to grow together for many more years to come. Thank you for all you do, for helping me to be a better person, and for loving me through it all. Here’s to many more years my love!
Sink and a Hole
We have a sink in the garage that has come in very handy from time to time, particularly after doing any type of yard work as I can wash my hands out there before going into the house. However, this sink has also always had a slight problem, it leaks from the faucet. Today I attempted to fix that problem along with patching a hole that has been in the wall next to this sink since we purchased the house. The hole was an interesting issue as it was clearly something the previous owner had cut into the wall to access the basement. It had been poorly covered with a loose board that was held in place by pressure from the sink cabinet. Once I got the sink moved out I was able to successfully patch the hole. The sink faucet is a different story… Once I got the old faucet removed and replaced with the spare that I found it turned out the spare also leaks. If the faucet is turned off there is no problem, it just means I will need to get a new faucet and revisit this project a second time. I think when that happens I will also look to add water shut-off valves that will only be for this sink, as opposed to the current configuration which turns off water to the basement utility sink and the washer in addition to this sink. I learned a good bit over the few hours that I worked on this project and I am looking forward to putting that knowledge to use when I patch the second hole in the garage (yes, they made two!) that is near a hose spigot that also needs work. Oh the joys of home-ownership.
Eleven Years…
Stomp!
In the early 1990’s I was made aware of a percussion show like no other that I would follow off an on via television performances, and later video clips online, for over twenty years. The infusion of percussion, dance, and even comedy made it an ever-present member of my mental list of theatrical events that I hoped to someday see. That show is Stomp, 
and today that 20+ year-long item has been removed from the list! Today Melissa, Kylie, and I all went out to the Wharton Center and watched an amazing show like none other I have ever seen. The interaction with the audience and the comedy that stemmed from it is something that I completely did not expect, and added to the enjoy-ability of the show immensely. I am overjoyed that I was able to see this show, and even more so that it was so enjoyable for Melissa and Kylie as well. The Wharton Center is rapidly becoming one of my favorite venues as well because there is basically not a bad seat in the house. I highly recommend both the venue and this show to anyone that has the opportunity to partake in either.
Party for a Cause
Tonight is the annual Woodhaven Police Unity Tour fundraising party. The Police Unity Tour is an event that raises awareness for law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty (more information on their website). My friend Nicole’s brother is a Woodhaven Police Officer who, with other officers, participates in this great event. Each year he throws a party to help raise funds that go towards various things ranging from donating to the families of officers in his community that have lost a family member, to helping to fund his participation in the tour, and the general donation to the tour. It’s a great cause and it is a really fun night. This will be the second year that we are attending, and I believe this is now officially a tradition as I do not see us not going to this event in the future. We are really looking forward to a fun night ahead of us!